Shark Management Strategy
An overview of the NSW Shark Management Strategy
NSW DPI has come to the end of a five-year journey of testing and trialling a suite of shark mitigation measures.
- View the Shark Mitigation Strategy Overview (PDF, 2518 KB)
- Find more information on Technology, Trials and Results
Shark Management Strategy
2020/21 NSW Shark Program
The NSW Government will spend $8 million in 2020/21 on a new strategy to protect beachgoers from sharks.
This is the biggest annual expenditure on beachgoer safety in relation to shark encounters at NSW beaches in the history of the NSW Government, following the conclusion of the $16 million, five-year Shark Management Strategy.
The 2020/21 NSW Shark Program includes:
- Drone surveillance at 34 key swimming locations
- 35 SMART drumlines in high risk locations on the North Coast
- 21 VR4G listening stations along the NSW coastline
- The continuation of the Shark Meshing Bather Protection program, which has run since 1937, at 51 beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong
- Community awareness and education programs
View the 2020/21 NSW Shark Program (PDF, 1805.04 KB)
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Shark Management Strategy
NSW Shark Management Strategy
The NSW Government is continuing its efforts to increase its knowledge about the movement and ecology of White, Tiger, and Bull sharks, and trials of technologies to reduce the risk of shark bites at our beaches.
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Drone surveillance over summer
As part of the 2020/21 NSW Shark Program, Surf Life Saving NSW is undertaking drone surveillance at 34 key swimming locations on the NSW coastline Locations
SMART Drumlines: Shark Management Alert in Real Time
NSW is leading the world in trials of SMART Drumlines, which are both a shark mitigation tool and a research tool that reduce the risk of interactions with sharks while minimising the impact on marine species.
SMART Drumlines
Shark Activity Map

Stay SharkSmart with our app Check the latest sightings and tagged shark detections before you hit the water in NSW.
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For iOS visit the iTunes store, or for Android visit Google Play.